The Practice and Challenges of

Development Journalism(DJ) in

Ethiopia: The case of Fana

Broadcasting Corporate ‘Ummanni

maal jedha?(UMJ)’ Investigative

Radio Program

By Ameyu Etana

AAU, GSJ&C

Thursday May 08, 2014

A short clue of the paper

• Quoted interviews translated to English for the sake

of presentation

• The exact date of interview are located in the paper

• Documents, archives were used, and two producers

and the vice director at Fana Broadcasting Corporate

(FBC) were interviewed in-depth for the mini-

research.

• In addition, development journalism model is

employed to underpin the mini-research.

Profile of the program

• ‘Ummanni maal jedha?’ or literally it means ‘People

say what?’ is investigative radio program in Afaan

Oromo at Fana Broadcasting Corporate

• Length 25’-35’ & once in a week

• Entertains a single issue for two weeks

• Designed to defend the public interest and expose

corruption, lack of good governance, & abusive of

power so that government would take action.

• It is clearly stated in editorial policy

• In addition, FBC offers training for journalists

Program Selected: Out of 52 programs of the year 10 selected

randomly. As 10 of them entertain 5 issues, we

had 5 topics of programs to analyze.

A. Analysis based on the Content

The steps to produce:

The producer states issues to be covered >

discuss with his/her editor > then he/she plans

> sent to editorial for further discussion >

then it came back for production.

How the producer gets idea:

contacts, audiences(phone, in person,..), whistle

blowers & rarely from the organization.

Topic of the program Issue raised

Sululta Scandal

The Hetosa Myopia

The where of the statue

Amerti-Nashe apparent scandal

The Sebeta Conundrum

Lack of good governance

Lack of good governance

Corruption

Corruption

Lack of good governance

Continues…

• At week one : grievances, comments, grief’s, questions raised with background of the problem.

• At week two : the responsible bodies give answers and debate arises.

E.g. ‘The Sebeta Conundrum’ : a program about hundreds of farmers displaced from their farm land without compensation since they were told their land was given for others. Neither farmers compensated nor 3000 ‘title deeds’ or ‘karta’ payers got their money or the land they paid for. But the land is still free yielding nothing for 6 years as farmers prohibited not to utilize the land.

This & other issues raised implies:

• UMJ is seems striving to be voice of the marginalized, to bring

government and public in one front, to dig out the consequence

of mal-administration, critique development projects, to

investigate the doings of officials and letting the public know.

Therefore, there is a sign of DJ(treating sources & issues of

non- success but not complex albeit stated in Editorial Policy).

• Though UMJ effort is an attempt worth mentioning,

the program has lacked thorough exploration, are

shallow(sensational of topics & lack comprehensiveness),

some times based on telephone interview, lack follow-up,

there is a gap in critically examining the projects and their

consequences.

B. Interview Analysis

• Two producers produce interchangeably

• Both have some know how of Development/

investigative Journalism

What are the basic problems that challenges the

practice of the producers and the organization

concerning DJ?

Continues…

A. Unwilling to divulge information of sources

This invites phone interview which is not advisable as well as it is highly difficult to understand the mind of sources.

B. Thwarting from investigating by local officials

Vice director at FBC posits as follows;

‘’Why should I interview the person they bring. Why? White men are travelling freely throughout the country.

Why they prohibit us from doing so?’’

Continues… C. The saying no of the public for questions

Three reasons: they fear of officials threat

: assume media bring nothing albeit knows its what

: lack of know how of media

D. Lack of sufficient institutional support

Less in follow up. (Quoted from an interview with a producer, April 2014).

‘’From about 30 programs the media airs in this station, we’ve a single investigative program. But it gets no unique support as it should to have. There is no additional day to investigate. Even they let us not to focus on grievance of the public when election or other national celebration comes. To your surprise, heretofore, the program was as long as 45minute. However, now, we are advised to do from 25-35 minutes. Other time the program is replaced with what we call a special program.’’

Continues…

E. Many tasks to accomplish(the bulkiness

tasks of a journalist)

The Problems are:

difficult to look steps of an issue

Initiate a journalist to compromise a

profession E.g. just doing to fill air time

would blunt the investigative qualities of a

journalist

Continues… F. No team work

Producers have another tasks to do and do the program interchangeably. Both assume, being two is not enough. Can be said, UMJ is a single journalist work.

G. Enjoying psychological dissatisfaction for the effort made so far (Quoted from an interview with a producer, April 2014)

‘’Before some years I got training from a Nigerian scholar on investigative journalism. He told us many things which we are expected to do. When I compare this with what we are doing now, I can say it may have partially but there is no investigative radio program. Out of our programs, maybe, 5-10% may get the exact and perfect answer; the rest is answered just for the sake of answering. On issues we got succeed, the responsible person would get promoted than demoted. Why we strive then? This makes the media false and perpetuates non-credibility.’’

Continues

H. Absence of reaction from government FBC(quoted from an interview with the vice director, April 2014)

‘’ The power of media is running out. We’ve been dealing with various issues related to lack of good governance but, there is no action against. The media is seen as hostile instead of partner of development. The outcome of our deeds are becoming just letting our informants attacked by officials. Mostly, it is because of the absence of remedial actions from officials who are supposed to take and maybe they are parts of the problem.’’

Continues… I. Lack of linkage between institutions

E.g. The link between a media and anti-corruption commission, Ombudsman, police, grievance hearing … is less.

J. Lack of attention of the organization- a Clue from FBC (quoted from an interview with the vice director, April 2014)

‘’From the very beginning investigative reporting should be a team work. In contrary, we’ve a problem of journalists. Having ample time and getting additional support is needed for these journalists. However, our journalists are so much busy with the additional tasks. In addition, those journalists should spend much time to dig out facts. But this would ask us finance. Furthermore, an investigative journalist should be gifted naturally, other than, being made. I think these issues have lost attention here.’’

Continues… K. poor legal protection i.e. imprisonment, intimidation,

hostility…, even the no of shield laws in the country

L. political influence(self censorship favoring government and fear of dismissal) .i.e. informally it is in FBC

M. Lack of professionalism

N. Lack of resources especially transportation, communications, equipment, documents, and low salaries(invite journalists to collaborate corruptors)

O. Dead line…

Conclusion

• FBC’s ‘Ummanni Maal Jedha?’ Afaan Oromo investigative radio program is facing the lack of the intended focus and support from the organization.

• The program is highly dependent on the effort of producers and faces fading of the basic concepts of development journalism as it encounters different structural, external and internal factors even though producers have some know how of the investigative concept.

• Though the efforts done so far are worth mentioning, the

program is in critical situation since, mostly, issues

entertained are open-ended and ineffective, and leave

alone covering the untouched issue that has to be covered,

the program is unable to do for the objective it was

founded as the program plan in action is poor.

• In a nutshell, having seen the practice and challenges of

DJ in FBCs ‘Ummanni Maal Jedha?’ radio program,

investigative /development journalism is highly praised

term in the media institution but poorly practiced.

Recommendation

• ‘Ummanni Maal Jedha?’ Should get basic attention and

support from the organization so as to act in accord with

the basic tenets of development/investigative journalism

and break the available challenges

• The government has to pay attention for the efforts of

programs to take action against as it is responsible and this

saves media institutions from losing credibility. In addition, as

media is partner of development and as development

journalism model dictates this, government should be smart to

work with media than ignoring them for not working for them.

I can’t Thank

You Enough.

You are encouraged to challenge.

Email address: ameyuetana@gmail.com

Make a reference

Ameyu Etana (May 2014). The Practice and Challenges of Development

Journalism (DJ) in Ethiopia: The case of Fana Broadcasting Corporate

(FBCs) ‘Ummanni Maal Jedha? (UMJ)’ Investigative Radio Program. PPT

presentation, Graduate School of Journalism and Communication, Addis Ababa

University, Ethiopia. Available at: www.academia.edu